The Scottish Government has launched a new GP and junior doctor recruitment campaign in the midst of the ongoing dispute in England, which saw health secretary Jeremy Hunt imposing a contract today.
Shona Robison, the Scottish health minister, said in a statement today that ‘we take a different approach to our relations with NHS staff’, which ended by promoting their new recruitment drive.
The recruitment drive – which was launched before the imposition today – includes a series of videos have been produced to highlight the ‘many positive aspects of training, working and living in Scotland’, including general practice.
Ms Robison said: ‘We take a very different approach to our relations with NHS staff and are determined to continue our longstanding positive relationship – working with staff to improve and shape services for the future.
‘Junior doctors are an extremely valued part of Scotland’s NHS and that is why we will continue to service the existing contract for junior doctors until such time that we feel it is right to move towards negotiations.’
The videos form part of the #juniordocscot social media campaign which will run until 9 March – the deadline for trainees across the UK to submit applications for medical speciality training places.
It includes interviews with the chief medical officer and trainee doctors working in NHS Scotland.
Newly qualified GP Dr Lynsey Yeoman was one of four doctors who helped to promote their respective disciplines.
Dr Yeoman, a health inequalities GP fellow for the west of Scotland, who also works at a practice for homeless people in Glasgow, said: ‘You don’t know what’s coming through your door on a daily basis, which is fascinating. You can build up relationships with patients through a short or a more prolonged illness or through their lifetime.
‘It’s that continuity of care that I really enjoy. I was very well supported in my training and felt like part of a big family.’
